Railway-switch-actuating mechanism



Aug. 13, 1929. E. G. WESSON 1,724,442

RAILWAY SWITCH ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed April 24, 1928 44 Mass on,

' TM} invention relates to railway switch Patented Aug. 13, was.

' barren stares 1,724,442- .Persrir oErica EUGENE G. wnssoN, or LrNcoLN,NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO THE uNroN swiren &

SIGNAL COMPANY, or swrssvnrn, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENN-SYLVANIA.

' RAILWAY-SWITCH-ACTUATING Nnci-rANrsia.

Application filed April 24, 1928. Serial imzvasso.

actuating mechanisms, and has for an object the provision of meansfor'actuating a railway switch by two separate and distinct devices,such, for example, as by a lever of an interlocking machine and by ahand-actuated ground lever. V, a I will describe one form of mechanismembodying my invention, and will then point out the novel featuresthereof in claims.

In the'accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing oneform of switch actuating system to. which the mechanism embodying myinvention may be applied. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism B shownin Fig. 1, with the cover re moved, which mechanism embodies myinvention. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the mechanism shown inFig. .1.

Similar reference characters refer to lar parts in each of the severalviews.

My invention constitutes an improvement on the mechanism shown in anapplication for Letters Patent of the United States'by Edwin G. Little,Serial No. 202,273, filed June29, 1927. In some instances mechanisms, ofthe type shown inthe said Little simiapplication have been operated andcontrolled by the levers of a mechanical interlocking machine in suchmanner that one lever is mechanically connected with the bar 5 andanother lever is mechanically connected with the shifter plate 11, sothatnormally the switch is actuated by the first interlockingmachinelever, but the switch maybe operably connected with the handlever 1 byreversing the second machine lever. When the mechanism isused'in this manner, I'have found that after the shifter plate has beenreversed to connect the switch with thehand lever 1, the compressionwhich normally exists in the pipe line connecting theibar. 5 with thefirst machine lever may throw this barout of alignment with the shiftingblock 9, so that the mechanism cannot be restored to normal position byrestoration ofthe second machine lever to its normal. position be causeblock 9 will not enter the recess in bar 5. One feature of my inventionis the pro vision of means for locking the bar 5 in its normal positionwhen the selecting apparatus is operated to place the mechanism incondition for operation of the switch by the hand lever 1. I

Referring now to the drawing, the reference character B designates .amechanism comprising a suitable box or casing 45,-Which is provided withguides to accommodate three parallel longitudinally movable bars 3, 4and 5. The bar 4 isoperatively 'con nected with a railway switch A,andthe bar 5 is operatively connected. by a pipe line 48 wlth a switchactuating lever L of an interlocking machine. The bar 3 is operativelyconnected with a'manually operable ground lever 1 through the mediumofamiter gear 23, a second miter gear 24, and an arm 26 which ispivotally'connected with the bar 3.

Located within theImechanism case 47 is'a shifter plate 11 mountedtojslide, longitudi nally ina directionperpendicular to the direction ofmovement of the bars 3, 4, and 5. The right-hand end of'thisshifterplate is provided with a slot to receive two blocks 9 and l'Ofwhichcoact with recesses cut. in the under sides of the bars 3, 4 and 5. Whenthe shifter plate is'in its left-hand position,

in which it is shown in the drawing, block 10 cooperates with bars 4 and5 .to connect these bars/for simultaneous movement. It follows thatunder this condition sWitchA can be 7 actuated by the interlockingmachine lever L When the shifter plate llis moved toiitsright-handposition, the block. 10re responding parts in the applicationof E. G. Little, referredto hereinbefore, and consequently, detailedexplanation of the struc- 'ture and operation of these parts is notessentialin the present case. v In the present disclosure the shifterplate 11 is actuated by a fourth bar 41, which is mountedto slidelongitudinally in suitable guidesformed at: the left-hand end of. the

casing 45; .This ,bar .41 carries a cam 43 coacting with two blocks 42and 44 attached to the shifter plate 11, the co-action being such thatlongitudinal movement of the bar Y notches 37 and 37.

41 causes operation of the shifter plate to its right and left-handpositions. With the parts in the positions in which they are illustratedin the drawing, the shifter plate is in its left-hand position. When thebar 41 is pushed inwardly, cam 43 coacts with block 42. to move theshifter plate to the right, and when the bar 41 is again returned to itsillustrated position, cam 43 coacts with block 44 to move the shifterplate to the left. The bar 41 is connected by a pipe line 49 with theselector lever L in the interlocking machine.

The shifter plate 11 actuates a circuit controller C through the mediumof aslotted yoke 33, a crank 32, a shaft 31, and a pair of.

miter gears34 and 35. Thecircuit controller and the apparatus foroperating it, have nothing to do, however, with my present in. vention;

Located in the right-hand end of the mechanism case 45 is' a plate 37having two The notch 37 is in such position as to receive the block 10when this block is'shifted to the right to disconnect bar 5 from bar 4.When the block 10 is in its right-hand position, it occupies the notch37 and also the recess in the underside of bar 5, so that bar 5 islocked in its proper position, with the result that when the shifterplate is restored to its left-hand position, block 10 will enter therecess in .the underside of bar 4. The parts are so adjusted that duringright-hand movement of the shifter plate 11, the block 10 enters thenotch 37 before it leaves the recess inbar 4. It will be seen,therefore, that after the selector lever L has been reversed to placethe mechanism in condition for ground lever operation of the switch, thebar 5 is located in its normal position in spite of the tendency of thecompression in pipe 48 to throw this bar out of its normal position.

The notch 37 in the plate 37 is merely for use when the relative.positions of the switch and the mechanism shown in Fig.

'1 are reversed.

The plate 37 may be mounted in the case 45 in any suitable manner. Ashere shown,

this plate is provided with slotted holes to receive bolts 38 by whichthe plate is attached to the bottom of the casing, and the 1. Railwayswitch actuating mechanism comprising two separate and distinct devicesfor actuating the switch, apparatus for selectively connecting theswitch with one or the other of said devices, and means for locking oneof said actuating devices while the other actuating device is connectedwith the switch.

2. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising two separate anddistinct devices for actuating the switch, a bar operatively connectedwith the switch, a second bar operatively connected with the firstactuating device, a third bar operatively connected with the secondactuating device, means for selectively connecting said first bar withsaid second bar or said third bar, and a device associated with saidselectingmeans for locking the second bar while said third bar isconnected with said first bar.

3. Railway switch actuatingv mechanism comprising a casing containingthree parallel longitudinally slidable bars, the first of which isoperatively connected with the switch, the second of which isoperatively connected with one actuating device and the third of whichis operatively connected with a second actuating device, saidbars havingregistering notches, a shifter plate slidable transversely with respectto said bars, a pair ofv blocks slidably mounted in said shifter plateand coacting with the notches in said bars, a notched locking platefixed in said casing, and means for moving said shifter plate to oneposition wherein the first block operatively connects the first andsecond bars, and to another position wherein the second blockoperatively connects the first and third bars and, the. first blockcoacts with both the notch in. the first bar and the notch in saidlocking plate.

4. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising a bar'op'erativelyconnected with the switch, a second bar mechanically connected with anactuating lever of an interlocking machine, a third bar operativelyconnected with a ground lever, means including a selector lever of saidinterlocking machine for selectively connecting said first bar with saidsecond bar or with said third bar, and a device associated with saidlast mentioned means for locking said second bar while the third bar isconnected with the first bar. v

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

I EUGENE G. WESSON.

